Written ~ 04-16-2024
Read John Chapter Nine
John 9
What goes through your mind when you hear the words, “Spiritual Blindness?”
In our chapter today Jesus is going to deal with both physical and spiritual blindness, let’s engage our hearts and minds and learn from the examples given in our passage for today.
In verse 9:1 we find Jesus and His disciples walking along… and they come upon a blind man who had been blind since birth. Now, verse 9:2 might seem like an odd question for the disciples to ask, but let’s see what we can find out about the origin of their question…
John 9:2…
2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked Him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
In the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” the explanation for the disciples question goes back to the misconduct of the Scriptures… the Pharisees and religious leaders, made a habit of taking the true meaning and twisting it for their own interests, so they could condemn and hold judgement over the people…
- The interest of the disciples was prompted by theological curiosity rather than compassion. For them the blind man was an unsolved riddle rather than a sufferer to be relieved. Their question was based on Exodus 34:7, which the Jews construed to mean that if a person suffered from any ailment, it must have been because his parents or grandparents had committed some sin against God. To this they added the thought that perhaps he might have sinned before birth (either as an embryo or in a preexistent state); such a concept appears in the rabbinical writings. Jesus refused to accept either alternative.
If Jesus refused to accept that this man or his parents had sinned and that’s why he was born blind, what was His response?
John 9:3-5…
3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the One who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Did you catch it? Did you stop and ponder over what Jesus said?
“This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”
When you and I don’t understand why our circumstances are weighing us down with such crippling heaviness… Maybe we are experiencing pain in our bodies, we have unresolved family issues, our job creates a tension filled atmosphere… whatever it might be, are we questioning why this is happening? When we decide to turn our FULL trust and faith into the power of the Lord, it is then that He can work in our lives, the power of God can be seen! If we were to continue pushing God away, doubting His ability to take care of physical pain, reconciling families and bringing peace to a workplace, how can we expect to see the power of God in our lives! It seems… we want the control.
In our story today we have a man, blind since birth, encountering Jesus for the first time. Does he know what to expect? Probably not! He may be waiting for some food or maybe a coin of two. But what happens instead? JESUS!
John 9:5…
5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jesus is going to bring light into this man’s world. Darkness has been his experience since birth, shame and possibly guilt has covered his heart, mind and soul, thinking he did something wrong and that’s why he is blind. But not today! Jesus was walking along…
John 9:6-7…
6 Then He spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!
“He came back seeing!” This man, once blind, obeyed the word of the Lord and came back seeing! It required action on the part of the blind man. When that mud was spread across his eyes, what do you think was going through his mind? I would imagine some confusion, but maybe he also thought something wonderful was about to happen! But he did as the Lord commanded… “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” If this man had not believed, if he did not have the courage to get up and go to the water and wash, would he have been healed? You and I can listen to the words the Lord speaks to our hearts, through the Scriptures, through the lessons we hear from Pastors, through the advice of a Christian friend, but if we aren’t going to put into action the things God is laying on our hearts to do, we could miss the resolution of some of our circumstances. This man was blind from birth, he chose to do what Jesus said to do and his healing happened… “so the power of God could be seen in him.”
John 9:8-11…
8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”
10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”
11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!”
This is what it looks like to give glory to God, the blind man who now had his sight, was glorifying God by his acknowledgment that is was indeed Jesus who made him well… “…the power of God could be seen in him…”
When you and I give glory to God for the things we see happening in our lives, others will notice! They will see the power of God in your life! There will be evidence that Jesus stepped in and made some changes. And we should not be shy about telling others about those changes! Give the glory where it’s due and that’s to the Almighty God.
As we continue with our story we see the newly sighted man being brought to the Pharisees. Right away, the sinking feeling comes to the pit of my stomach, because I know that the Pharisees are going to do all they can to steal this man’s joy. Just like how the enemy wants to steal our joy after we have encountered Jesus and something miraculous happens.
John 9:13-17…
13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for He is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them.
17 Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
The man replied, “I think He must be a prophet.”
We have learned from previous studies just how much the Pharisees hated Jesus, they were not going to take the word of this man that Jesus was anything other than a sinner who needed to be stopped. After questioning the man over and over, they summoned his parents, who confirmed that this was indeed their son who had been born blind.
When the man’s parents would not answer the questions from the Pharisees about how their son was healed, they questioned the man again… and Oh how I LOVE his response!
John 9:24-25…
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.”
25 “I don’t know whether He is a sinner,” the man replied.
“But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
“I was blind but now I see!!!” That is fantastic isn’t it? This man may not have known exactly who Jesus was yet, but what he did know is that he was completely healed! He no longer lived in darkness, he saw the light!!
The Pharisees kept questioning the man…and his response in classic…and still the Pharisees could not see past their own self-righteousness to acknowledge that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God.
John 9:26-34…
26 “But what did He do?” they asked. “How did He heal you?”
27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples, too?”
28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where He comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, He couldn’t have done it.”
34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
When the Lord does something amazing in your life, are you able to defend Him when you come up against fierce opposition? This man stood his ground, he was not going to back down and cave under the pressure of the Pharisees. And can you imagine! This man was just healed from his blindness and while giving praise to God, the Pharisees threw him out of the synagogue! It’s unbelievable how blinded the Pharisees were when they heard the truth. This is the epitome of what Spiritual Blindness looks like… Denying who Christ Jesus is on all accounts.
Let’s finish up with the last few verses of our chapter…
John 9:35-41…
35 When Jesus heard what had happened, He found the man and asked,
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man answered, “Who is He, sir? I want to believe in Him.”
37 “You have seen Him,” Jesus said, “and He is speaking to you!”
38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And He worshiped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard Him and asked, “Are You saying we’re blind?”
41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied.
“But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”
Have you been blinded to the truth? Do you make every excuse you can think of not to believe in who Jesus is? When your eyes are only filled with darkness it is much more difficult to see the truth. When Jesus makes His entrance into your life and you have a personal encounter with Him, do you refuse to see who is standing before you? Or like the blind man who took action to the words of Jesus and went to the water and washed, do you want to see? Don’t remain guilty in your sin because you claim to see truth in everything other than Jesus. Spiritual blindness keeps you in a darkness that traps your heart from softening to the truth of who Jesus Christ is… don’t be like the Pharisees, for when they heard the truth, they threw it out like garbage.
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 The man answered, “Who is He, sir? I want to believe in Him.”
37 “You have seen Him,” Jesus said, “and He is speaking to you!”
38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And He worshiped Jesus.
Jesus is speaking through the words found in the Bible. He is standing there waiting for you to respond to His question… “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
My prayer is that we all would respond just as the healed blind man did, “Yes, Lord, I believe!”
~AMEN~